In general, public address systems are employed for the purpose of amplifying the reproduction of sound or allowing a speaker to be heard above background noise and/or by a large group of people. Portable, public address (PA) systems must address a wide variety of special problems. The environment in which such systems are frequently used may vary drastically from one location to another. For example, ball games and other athletic events or indoor lectures. The types of sounds being amplified may also vary depending on the type of event being addressed. For example, utilizing an amplified megaphone-type speaker generally used for voice amplification indoors or outdoors to play music distorts the sound, while utilizing relatively small music speakers, generally not directional, does not lend themselves to outdoor use. Acoustical feedback is always a problem with an outdoor system when used indoors. Therefore, a need exists for a more universal portable PA system that more closely meets the requirements of both indoor and outdoor environments for a variety of sound amplification. Further, a need also exists for a compact PA system that is user friendly, weather tight and readily field repairable. Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a compact, portable PA system that is lightweight, user friendly, readily adaptable to a wide variety of environments and types of sound reproduction, battery powered, low voltage with high wattage, capable of accommodating large and small audiences and field repairable by replacement of plug and play components.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a lightweight, portable, outdoor PA system for operation in inclement weather.